Apple pushes home DVD burning

Steve Jobs addresses the Macworld faithful in N.Y.

By

SteveGelsi

NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Apple's Steve Jobs cranked up the company's DVD push in one of many moves unveiled Wednesday by the computer maker before 5,000 devotees at Macworld.

With the computer sector in a lull, Jobs used his keynote address at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to unveil the latest permutations of existing Apple
AAPL, -0.45%
products instead of any major new hardware.

Jobs cited "tough economic conditions" and pointed out that other PC makers are laying off and restructuring. Apple is "taking a different path" by focusing on innovation, he contended.

As Jobs spoke, Apple shares fell sharply in response to the computer maker's latest earnings report, which held little hope for any upturn in the near future. Apple shares shed $4.31 to $20.79 amid a Nasdaq slide on Wednesday. See full story.

With his customary showmanship intact, Jobs unveiled a fresh TV ad behind its IDVD2 software to help "mere mortals" create their own DVD movies.

The ad by Omnicom
OMC, -1.70%
unit TBWA Chiat/Day features a couple eloping on a remote island and mailing the DVD to their baffled parents.

The software fits Apple's "digital hub strategy" that adds homemade DVD movies to movie making with IMovie software and other products.

Jobs also unveiled sleeker, faster and less expensive versions of the hit Apple G4, aimed at the pro market. Last year, he introduced the G4 Cube, a futuristic, compact computer. Apple discontinued the Cube recently.

Apple customer Sean Langley said it's been a good year for Apple, citing its new G4s, its OSX operating system, the launch of retail stores, a new IBook laptop and the PowerBook G4 Titanium.

He said some had expected a flat-screen version of the IMac, but he's more upset that Apple decided to kill the G4 Cube.

Adam Tinkoff, a journalist for the trade publication Macaddict, said there's some disappointment that Apple didn't put out a new computer at the show, but he pointed out that the soft economic conditions wouldn't help any possible launch.

Rick LePage, editor of Macworld, said a new computer at this point could "clutter up" the Apple line and that the excitement at this point is surrounding the capabilities of the OSX. The new 10.1 version features fresh offerings from Adobe, IBM, Maya Technologies and others.

Linda Eads, a member of the Florida Board of Education, said she was attending the conference as the Sunshine State looks at deploying more Apple products for students and teachers.

Angela Diana Harvey, another Apple customer, said the cost savings of the new G4s will likely boost her efforts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to digitize images.

"What is now the high end is now the low end in terms of price," she said.

Jobs took the stage in his usual blue jeans and black shirt, to the Beach Boys tune "Catch a Wave and You're Sitting on Top of the World."

He kept up his intensity during the 2 1/2-hour presentation as he sipped water and mentioned that he'd only gotten three hours of sleep.

At one point, he threw a digital camera at a technician after he had trouble turning it on. Later in the talk, he took the camera out again to show off photo software in the OSX operating system.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.